By Calum Ewing, The Nest ATL Contributor

On September 11, Greater Atlanta Christian traveled to Prince Avenue in what was promoted as a matchup of private school juggernaughts. Led by Gavin Hollum, Hudson Hill, and Andrew Beard, it was the home side that made a statement, with the Wolverines cruising to a 38-15 victory.

After a touching 9/11 tribute to surviving parents on both teams and first responders in the local area, the Spartans got the game started on offense. Greater Atlanta’s first play from scrimmage was a 20 yard jet sweep by running back Pierce Wilson. Leading the defense left and taking advantage of space, he was only downed after nearly clearing a defender during a ridiculous hurdle attempt. However, the drive would end soon after when Cayden Gordon rushed unguarded around the right tackle at quarterback Mike Miller, who escaped but was then sacked by Solomon Garland and Harrision Alverson.

Prince Avenue’s first drive led them into the end zone thanks to sophomore quarterback Gavin Hollum and senior wide receiver Hudson Hill. Hill caught a deep ball from midfield on the 15-yard line, adjusting well after Hollum was hit on the throw. He then got behind coverage for a wide-open TD catch in the back right corner of the endzone on third down. Hollum had found him rolling right from pressure, and the play gave the Wolverines an early 7-0 lead. 

GAC opened their second drive well with a 10-yard run by Miller, but Prince’s Cayden Gordon came up big again with a TKL on third and short, forcing a punt. The home side kept their second drive alive with a huge 3rd down completion to Ashton Coleman; Hollum slid under and past multiple defenders before Coleman took the ball near midfield. Florida commit Andrew Beard would explode up the middle for a 19-yard run soon after, and Prince would settle for a 38-yard Joey Black field goal to go up 10-0 at the turn of the second quarter.

The Spartans failed to turn any momentum their way, with an illegal touching penalty leading to a loss of down and punt. Prince made a gutsy call on the return drive to go for 4th down and short on their own 43, but Andrew Beard converted with a 3-yard rush. Afterwards, a beautiful 50-yard spiral from Hollum was intended for Hill, but cornerback Jaden Anderson did a very good job at breaking up the pass at the 5-yard line. On the same set of downs, Hollum rolled out left, launched a ridiculous deep ball towards two receivers under triple coverage, and Hudson Hill rose up over a defender for a head-topping catch at the 10-yard line. What was officially a 55 yard play was likely a 60-65 yard throw from Prince’s star sophomore.

In an odd decision on 4th and 8 from the 10 a few plays later, the Wolverines did not take the field goal, instead going for the first down and coming up one yard short on a QB scramble. Luckily, they forced an immediate three and out, and Andrew Beard would cut and juke past multiple defenders for a 33-yard touchdown run and 17-0 lead. 

Another quick defensive stop allowed Hudson Hill to blaze past five defenders for a 31-yard gain across midfield on the next drive. The rapid flip in field position gave Beard room to do more damage, and a few runs later he found the endzone for the second time. Greater Atlanta were shocked, their away fans stunned in disbelief; the Wolverines had run rampant, and only one school appeared to be a heavyweight private, with Prince up 24-0.

The home side, as insult to injury, received the ball first to start the second half. Under intense pressure, Hollum would spin away from a sack, juke another defender, and drop a short pass to Beard for a crucial first down past midfield. The next play was a shot to the end zone and another beautiful deep ball towards Hill, but it was swatted away. That didn’t matter, as two Jarrett Major catches brought the offense to the red zone, and Andrew Beard grabbed his third rushing touchdown to make it 31-0.

Greater Atlanta Christian received some form of mercy thanks to a squib kickoff, allowing them to start on their own 47. Their first complete drive of the game was punctuated with a TD pass, as Miller rolled out left and found Miles Braun open. Cole McWilliams would receive the 2-point conversion and cut the lead to 23. 

The ensuing drive was highlighted by a massive gain on a slant by, once again, Hudson Hill, bringing Prince to the GAC 28. However, the Spartan defense held up and forced a punt; was a comeback on?

Not in the slightest. On 4th and 5 from their own 30, Miller was picked off by Ashton Coleman, and he would’ve returned it for a pick 6 if not for a suplex tackle by Pierce Wilson. The powerful stop led to a soft personal foul penalty, placing the ball 6 yards from the endzone, and Coleman would grab a TD reception on the subsequent play to single-handidly ice the game.

In the 4th quarter, suplex deliverer Pierce Wilson would bounce off two hard tackles for a Spartan rushing TD, and the score would end a 38-15 Prince Avenue victory. 

In what was supposed to be a Top 3 private school matchup in the state, only the Wolverines made a statement that could separate them from Calvary Day in the public eye and in the rankings. They soundly defeated a team two classifications higher than themselves, and with an easier schedule on the way, the sky’s the limit for the 3-time state champions as they pursue their 4th title this decade.